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The camera I hold in my hands just now

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Printed on: 5/10/2026 4:17:47 AM


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Topic author: Lenny

Posted on: 20150320114320

Getting warmer ... like early spring here ... not many new listings on ebay ... time to play with cameras.
Just now I have a late Zorki-1c in my hands. I got it some days ago, it's cleaned and lubed now. The coating of the opening curtain is cracked and has light leaks, but the shutter is working fine now with a lovely sound. Happy to get this Zorki, wonderful thing of technic.

Replies

Reply author: Valkir1987

Replied on: 20150329152520

If you want to take the challenge of replacing the curtains. I can post you some curtain material.

Reply author: Lenny

Replied on: 20150330105135

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="MS Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Valkir1987</i>
<br />If you want to take the challenge of replacing the curtains. I can post you some curtain material.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thank you so much Milo,
I don't want to change the curtains. I'm always interested to keep my Zorkis original as much as possible. If I see cameras offered with new curtains it's a reason for me not to buy it. If I really would want to shoot with it I would try a coating with Plasti Dip first. I never tried that before but I think it could work well.

This small drum for the opening curtain isn't a good construction. The closing curtain which is rolled on a much bigger drum doesn't have these problems with cracked and lost coatings. If these Zorkis are not used for a long time the opening curtains get stiff and wavy and then the coating will crack. It's good to keep Zorkis cocked for some time to prevent curtain damage.

Reply author: Lenny

Replied on: 20150331073133

Playing with my Smena-1. I opened the backdoor, put the shutter on "B" and watch the leafs while shooting. The leafs are opening and closing very fast. I wonder if the speed of the leafs can be adjusted like on Zorkis. I think this leaf-shutter is superior at slow speeds than the Zorki shutter. I wonder why only 1/250 was the fastest speed they could reach with it. All parts of the leaf-shutter are very small and can work only with a small lens. This is the difference to Zorkis with their M39 lens-mount.

The performance of the Triplet lens (3 elements in 3 groups) can't be as good as Industars (4 elements in 3 groups). Sad that they didn't try a Smena with an Industar even if it was more expensive.

My Smena-1 is from 1956 and the build quality is amazing after so many years. It might not be used much, there are no friction-marks on the film-pressure-plate which is also made of plastic. Wonderful camera to start photography. Sad I didn't get this chance when I started. Love my Smena, so happy to have it. Wonder if there are other cameras I could fall in love with.

Reply author: Luiz Paracampo

Replied on: 20150331180104

There were various Smena with Industar 73 2.0/40
see them at:
http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?1016764248
and
http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?760047637
besides LOMO variationns LOMO135 VS LOMO 35M and Electra 112
from the same Family.
Regards
LP

Reply author: Lenny

Replied on: 20150401051744

Thanks Luiz,
I see GOMZ tried Industars in 1967, but these cameras were mostly prototypes and I think that was 10 years too late. Industars would have been great with the strong bakelite bodies of early production.